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Fort Lewis College Athletics

Scoreboard

WBB
David Wilson, FLC Athletics
Redshirt freshman Jana Conejero led all players with a career-high 16 points in the win
44
Northern N.M. NNMU 0-4
61
Winner Fort Lewis FLC 1-3,0-0 RMAC
Northern N.M. NNMU
0-4
44
Final
61
Fort Lewis FLC
1-3,0-0 RMAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Northern N.M. NNMU 10 5 14 15 44
Fort Lewis FLC 19 13 12 17 61

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Angela Roberts, Athletic Communications Assistant

Fort Lewis Tops Northern New Mexico 61-44 in Nike N7 Game; Coach Harris Earns First Skyhawk Win

DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College women's basketball team earned its first win of the season, topping Northern New Mexico College by a score of 61-44 on Sunday afternoon. Head coach Taylor Harris picked up the first win of his Skyhawk career in an overall team win that saw 11 players contributing points.

"We have been waiting for this game and the opportunity to play at home for so long," said Harris. "How cool is it that, after a year of fanless games due to COVID, that we were able to have this moment? The crowd fueled us, starting with the pregame ceremonies, it meant a lot to have that energy for the girls—that was everything to them."

The game was recognized as the school's Nike N7 game, honoring Native American and Aboriginal communities and organizations in celebration of Native American Heritage Month. The FLC women's basketball team features four players with Native American backgrounds, including Destiny Kessay (White Mountain Apache), Ember Cervantes (Mescalero Apache), Charlize Valdez (Southern Ute) and Tayla Nez (Navajo).

"We talked about what this N7 game would mean to our team a lot leading up to tipoff. This game is about more than basketball, it is about celebrating Destiny, Ember, Charlize, and Tayla. Today was truly the ultimate selfless game where we celebrated those four and what they mean to our team," acknowledged Harris.

Fort Lewis shot 44.2 percent (23-of-52) from the field, just shy of a season-high, while draining seven shots from beyond the arc. The Skyhawks held the Eagles to just 12.5 percent (2-of-16) from three and benefitted from 18 Northern New Mexico turnovers. Fort Lewis was also superior in rebounds, coming away with 33 to 27 for the Eagle.

Redshirt freshman Jana Conejero led the team with a season-high 16 points, connect on four threes to lead all players. Redshirt senior Sydney Candelaria followed with 15 points to go along with four steals and a team-high five rebounds. Redshirt freshman Claudia Vidal and redshirt junior Alyssa Adams each put up six points in the complete team effort.

Fort Lewis built a lead early, going up 8-4 after a pair of Conejero threes. NNMC cut the lead to two, but Candelaria widened the gap again with a three-point play. A pair of free throws from freshman Piper Terry extended the lead to 17-10 with under one minute to go, and Candelaria wrapped up the quarter with a jumper to see the score at 19-10 heading into the second quarter.

The Eagles dropped in a pair of free throws to kick off the quarter, bringing things to 19-12. The Skyhawks then went on a 13-0 scoring run to extend the lead to 32-12 with 1:38 to go. The run saw points from six different Skyhawks, including a three from redshirt sophomore Tayla Nez and a layup by freshman Samantha Wattawa to end the run. NNMC hit a three with a minute to go as the lead stood at 32-15 at the half.

Both sides found offensive rhythm to begin the third with the score moving to 39-21 off a Conejero three with seven minutes on the clock. It then turned into a defensive battle with four scoreless minutes to follow. Redshirt sophomore Ember Cervantes dropped in a layup with 3:15 remaining to bring the game to 42-25. The Eagles rattled off back-to-back layups to cut the lead to 13 points, but redshirt junior Brooke McGee ended the quarter on a high note with a layup.

Scoring in the fourth began with a three from Adams, pushing the score to 47-29 with 8:50 to go. Fort Lewis went on an 8-0 run to take the largest lead of the afternoon at 55-31 before an Eagle layup could slow the roll. Free throws and a huge three from redshirt sophomore Destiny Kessay wrapped up the outing with the Skyhawks taking a 61-44 ballgame.

Fort Lewis (1-3) is back on the road next week for a Friday/Saturday slate in Canyon, Texas. First, the Skyhawks take on West Texas A&M University for a 1:30 p.m. start, and the team ends the trip with a game versus Southwestern Oklahoma State University at 11:00 a.m.

"We talked a lot about building momentum going into that fourth quarter that can send us into the road weekend," said Harris. "We are really excited about the opportunity to play a pair of great teams. It's especially important that we enjoy our time together and grow as a group. 
 
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